-- But we still have a chance to kill this bill-- But we still have a chance to kill this bill

"Gun Owners of America sent out an action alert to its 300,000 members on Friday...." -- The Washington Post

Monday, November 23, 2009

By now, you have probably heard the bad news regarding Saturday night's vote on the anti-gun ObamaCare bill.

Sixty Senators voted to bring the legislation to the Senate floor for discussion and debate, which means that rather than killing the bill outright, we must fight to defeat it another day.

Saturday's vote was very, very important. And every Senator who supported the legislation should be taken to the woodshed for casting an all-important vote in favor of the bill, at a time when we had the best chance to kill ObamaCare.

The good news is that we still hope to win our battle against ObamaCare, and we can do that because Saturday's vote was not the only opportunity to filibuster the bill. At least four Senators -- who voted for ObamaCare on Saturday -- have said they will support a filibuster if the bill stays in its current form.

Nevertheless, it would have been nice to kill the legislation on Saturday, especially given that the American people had not had an opportunity to thoroughly look at it.

As you know, GOA's legal team has reviewed each version of the legislation and found it wanting. GOA has reported on these problems for several months, and now, these concerns are starting to gain traction inside the Beltway.

Today, The Washington Post reported that GOA's gun-related objections "could cause political indigestion for Democrats from conservative states," thus threatening the eventual passage of the bill. The Post said:

"The conservative group Gun Owners of America sent out an action alert to its 300,000 members on Friday warning that the Senate legislation would mandate that doctors provide 'gun-related health data' to 'a government database,' including information on mental-health issues detected in patients, which could jeopardize their ability to obtain a firearms license.

"In addition, the group said the legislation's 'wellness' provisions -- designed to encourage more healthful lifestyles -- would allow federal officials to mandate that companies charge higher insurance premiums for employees who own guns."

Saturday night's "cloture vote" is not the end of the road for us. But for the so-called "moderate" Democrats -- Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, and Evan Bayh of Indiana -- it does make it clear that they were bribed into selling out the American people because Harry Reid ordered them to do so.

Can you spell R-E-C-A-L-L? GOA is looking into which states are the best targets for recalls -- and you can be sure that we will be pursuing this option aggressively, exposing the Senators who sold their vote.

Landrieu's price tag was $300 million -- paid for by the American taxpayer. When a lobbyist gives a financial present to a Senator, they go to prison. Well, what's the difference between that and what Harry Reid did? Senator Landrieu sold her vote!

But do not lose heart. The bill will be debated in the Senate over the coming weeks. And the first step is to let your senators know of your approval of their "no" vote or your strong disapproval of their "yes" vote.

Wondering how your Senator voted? Every Democrat and Independent Senator supported the bill. All Republican Senators voted "no," except for Senator Voinovich of Ohio who missed the vote. To see the official roll call vote, go to: http://tinyurl.com/yaeu5am

ACTION: Please write your Senators. Let them know how you feel about their votes on cloture Saturday night. You can use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center to send a pre-written message to your Senators -- the appropriate e-mail will automatically be sent, based on how they voted.

----- Prewritten letter for ANTI-GUN Senators who voted "yes" ------

Dear Senator:

Just so you know, I will not forget how you voted on Saturday, November 21 when you threw your support in favor of anti-gun socialized health care.

Even if you vote against it at some point in the future, you went on record (on Saturday) to vote for higher taxes and more gun control, at a time when the forces of freedom had the best chance to kill the bill.

I am VERY upset and I will not forget.

Sincerely,

----- Prewritten letter to thank Senators who voted "no" ------

Dear Senator:

Thank you so much for your vote against cloture on ObamaCare. I totally support the vote that you cast.

This bill will raise taxes and lead to more gun control, and I, for one, am glad that there are some Senators who are willing to stand up against socialized health care.

Regarding the latter point, readers of The Washington Post saw in the November 23 edition that:

"The conservative group Gun Owners of America sent out an action alert to its 300,000 members on Friday warning that the Senate legislation would mandate that doctors provide 'gun-related health data' to 'a government database,' including information on mental-health issues detected in patients, which could jeopardize their ability to obtain a firearms license.

"In addition, the group said the legislation's 'wellness' provisions -- designed to encourage more healthful lifestyles -- would allow federal officials to mandate that companies charge higher insurance premiums for employees who own guns."

I hope you will continue to oppose this bill and make sure the rights of gun owners are protected.